A creative dumping ground for issues that interest me personally and professionally, with the thought they may interest you too. Issues such as the business of design, the design of business, the design of objects, design strategy, creative direction, innovation, creativity, thought leadership, observations, as well as recommendations, mid-century modern decorative arts and architecture, and the state of my thinking (and currently the state of my heart).

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Biz-as-Usual and Biz-by-Design: Tough Love

Another great Fast Company article—this time by Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman B-school, on the three keys to making business and design work place well. Because business wants to love design, but it's often an awkward romance. 1. Reckoning the Future: Prove It or Invent It?2. The World of Work: Permanent Tasks or Temporary Projects?3. Source of Status: A Large Staff or an Outsize Success?

Managing the yin and yang of business-as-usual and business-by-design means striking a balance between any number of countervailing impulses: Give people the freedom to follow their nose, but hold them accountable for their performance. Set a high bar, but recognize that failure is an unavoidable consequence of pushing into new territory. Do everything possible not just to thrill your customers but also to wring costs and efficiencies out of vendors and suppliers. The biggest challenge for all of us, designers and business people alike, is to become equally adept at quantifying the now and intuiting what's next. There's simply no other way to win.

Lori - I can't say with certainty when or if I've personally visited your blog(s), but I will dig into them this weekend. I try to post issues of general interest to designers, planners, marketers and whoever else shares my perspective. I am much more of a recommender and filter at this time, but aspire to share more personal content I've developed in the new year. As you can tell, I still have my sea legs, but grab my RSS or sign up by email and I promise to be a consistent poster if nothing else. Thanks for the note and encouragement.

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A creative dumping ground for issues that interest me personally and professionally, with the thought they may interest you too. Issues such as the business of design, the design of business, the design of objects, design strategy, creative direction, innovation, creativity, thought leadership, observations, as well as recommendations, mid-century modern decorative arts and architecture, and the state of my thinking (and currently the state of my heart).